Power Yoga For Beginners: Strength

In this power yoga workout, instructor Rodney Yee moves very quickly, even faster than in any other vinyassa-style practices I've done. In particular, he transitions through the sun salutation series so fast that even those familiar with the poses in the series (which is a MUST) will have some trouble keeping up with Yee's pace. You will perform MANY downward facing dogs in this practice, as Yee frequently returns to this posture as a resting pose between more challenging moves. Once he gets to the arm balances, Yee moves a bit more slowly, allowing time to get into more strenuous postures such as Pendulum and Crow and to hold these poses briefly. I've been practicing yoga at home for about 2 1/2 years now, and I definitely wasn't able to complete all of the poses in this practice. However, I felt that it offered me an excellent opportunity to expand my current practice to more challenging poses. This fast-moving practice is appropriate for intermediate to advanced yoga practitioners.

Instructor Comments:
Rodney Yee is my favorite yoga instructor. He provides voiceover instruction in a very soothing, flowing voice. He does move a bit TOO quickly in this practice, and he sometimes misses a cue here and there.

First off, this "beginners" tape is not for beginners, despite the title. Most of Rodney Yee's workouts seem to be under-rated as far as experience required. This one is challenging because of the arm strength required -- it's great for intermediates and lower-advanced. The workout is 20 minutes, and as with all of Rodney's tapes, is beautifully produced. Grade A.